Sex Ed for Self-Advocates

You don’t need to read this whole guide in one sitting. You may want to read one section a few times, or you may want to read one section every few weeks.

• You can use the sections in the guide in any order that is helpful to you. Some people may choose to work straight through, section by section; others may find one section that they currently need to know about and read only that for the time being.
• The nine modules in the guide were written in order. Each module builds off knowledge from the sections before. For example, before you learn about Dating, you might first need to know about Healthy Relationships.
• Some of the topics might be brand-new to you, while you may already know a lot about others. If something in a later module is difficult to understand, it may be helpful to go to previous modules to build more knowledge.
• You may not need to read all the information in this guide. If you don’t want to learn about some of the topics yet, that’s okay.

• This guide consists of nine modules. Each one explains the basics of a topic in sexuality education. The modules can all be accessed from the homepage.
• Each module is broken down into 10-15 smaller sections. There is a side bar on each module, so you can navigate through the sections you want to see. You can also use the “next” or “previous” buttons at the bottom of each section to move from page to page.
• After you have read a section, a few questions are provided to let you check if you understand the more important concepts from the module.
• In addition to the information on this website, a lot of resources are linked in the text and listed in the Sex Ed Additional Resources section. We have found those resources helpful while creating the guide, and we think they can help you learn more too.

• There are not specific “rules” for most topics related to sexuality and relationships, and if there are rules, there may be specific exceptions. This can make it hard or frustrating to learn about these things. This guide explains general information and guidelines, but your own experiences may be different trust that your experience is valid and use this information to build your understanding further.
• Because each person’s situation can be different, you should find a trusted adult to talk with if you have specific questions or concerns. This could be a family member, mentor, therapist, or some other person with whom you feel comfortable sharing personal information.
• Reading through this guide can teach you a lot, but it will not make you an expert on relationships or sexuality. These topics are complicated, and learning about them is a lifelong process.
• You deserve to have to have happy, healthy relationships and to be able to express your sexuality in ways that work for you. This guide can be a helpful tool as you work toward those goals.